Chicago White Sox - The Disco Years (1970-1979)  
   
 

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        Yr P W L   Yr P W L   Yr P W L               1970  
        1970 6 56 106   1973 5 77 85   1977 3 90 72               Decade  
        1971 3 79 83   1974 4 80 80   1978 5 71 90               Click  
        1972 2 87 67   1975 5 75 86   1979 5 73 87               on Logo  
                  1976 6 64 97                            
                                                       
   
  Titles: None Top White Sox Players during the Seventies  
     
  BallPark: Comiskey Park Pitchers:  
    Wilbur Wood (43.5) -    87  
  Team Name: White Sox Stan Bahnsen (8.97) -    30  
    Jim Kaat (15.36) -    26  
  Owner: John Allyn (1970-1975) Ken Kravec (8.11) -    22  
  Bill Veeck (1976-1980) Terry Forster (12.07) -    20  
    Steve Stone (6.41) -    20  
  General Managers: Goose Gossage (9.97) -    16  
  Roland Hemond Tommy John (7.29) -    15  
    Francisco Barrios (8.63) -   16  
  Managers: Tom Bradley (11.62) -   16  
  Don Gutteridge (1970) Bart Johnson (8.82) -   15  
  Bill Adair (1970)    
  Chuck Tanner (1970-1975) Catchers:  
  Paul Richards (1976) Ed Herrman (6) -    28  
  Bob Lemon (1977-1978) Brian Downing  (8.33) -    20  
  Larry Doby (1978) Jim Essian (5) -   12  
  Don Kessinger (1979)    
  Tony LaRussa (1979) First Basemen:  
    Dick Allen (15.32) -    37  
  Hall of Famers: Lamar Johnson (4.85) -    20  
  Luis Aparicio    
  Jim Kaat Second Basemen:  
  Goose Gossage Jorge Orta (11.68) -    37  
    Greg Pryor (4.55) -   8  
  No Hitters:    
  Blue Moon Odom / Francisco Barrios (1976) ShortStop:  
    Bucky Dent (4.35) -    18  
  Rookie of the Year: Luis Aparicio (4.83) -    7  
  None    
    Third Base:  
  MVP:  Bill Melton (16.11) -    35  
  Dick Allen (1972) Eric Soderholm (9.03) -    19  
       
  Cy Young:  Outfield:  
  None Chet Lemon (16.69) -    47  
    Carlos May (9.63) -    38  
  Notable Events: Pat Kelly (5.18) -    34  
  Ken Henderson (6.98) -    21  
  1970 - Wilbur Wood is the only star player on the team coming into the Ralph Garr (2.72) -    16  
  decade and the Sox don't develop another one during the Seventies. Claudell Washington (1.52) -    10  
    Walt Williams (0.97) -    10  
  1972 - Dick Allen is obtained from the Dodgers. He revitalizes  Oscar Gamble (3.56) -    8  
  interest in the franchise, winning the Home Run and RBI titles and Richie Zisk (2.68) -    7  
  the MVP Award. Dick lasts two more years in Chicago before he    
  wears out his welcome. Notable Events:  
     
  1975 - Chicago deals RHP Stan Bahnsen to Oakland for twenty year old  1976 - Bill Veeck brings back throwback style uniforms. These  
  outfielder Chet Lemon pajama looking uniforms were ugly as sin, not one of Veeck's   
  finer moments  
  1976 - The White Sox were struggling at the gate. The American     
  League wanted to keep a presence in the nation's second largest city.  1976 - Veeck tries introducing Bermuda shorts for players on   
   But after Bud Selig had stolen the Brewers away from Seattle after that hot days. Another bad idea - no one wants to slide while wearing shorts.  
   franchise had been there only one season, Major League baseball was     
   now facing a justifiable lawsuit by Seattle. Chicago was in the crosshairs 1977- Veeck takes advantage of how free agency is working by  
   of a franchise move to Seattle that no one wanted to have happen.  "renting a player". He obtained players in the walk year of their contracts   
  The city of Seattle was now wooing John Allyn and the White Sox in cheap. In 1977, it was Richie Zisk and Oscar Gamble. It looked like  
  what was becoming an absurd game of musical franchises with each Veeck might be on to something here, but teams adjusted - holding onto  
  jilted city trying to steal a team from the next weakest incumbent city. their walk year stars until mid season when they could ransom them off  
   Chicago had been living on the edge financially for quite some time and to contenders looking for the big guy to take them over the top.  
  Selig had originally wanted to move the Sox to Milwaukee back in 1970,  
   but settled on pifering the Pilots from Seattle instead.  1977 - The Sox hit 192 homers behind Zisk and Gamble obliterating the   
  This nonsense that Selig initiated was now coming full circle. existing Chicago record of 138. Chicago wins ninety games the only time   
    during the decade and finishes third in the Division. They had one other good  
   1976 - Crisis averted .The hero of the day turns out to be Bill   year in the Seventies, 1972, when they won eighty seven games and finished  
  Veeck, who, with the backing of Chicago city officials and, almost second behind huge seasons from Wilbur Wood and Dick Allen  
   impossibly, other American League owners, kept the White Sox  
  in Chicago by purchasing the club after the 1975 season. He also July 12, 1979 is Disco Demolition night. A very, very bad idea. Fans bring in   
  brought Hank Greenberg back into baseball, another good thing.  disco records to be destroyed between games of a doubleheader. Things get  
  Very ironic to have Veeck, who major league owners had forced out  out of hand and the Sox forfeit game two of the doubleheader.  
  of baseball in 1954, come back and save a valued franchise for them.